About RI
Roos Instruments is a leading supplier of automated test equipment and
development software for the semiconductor industry. Founded in 1989,
RI systems are used worldwide to test RF and
mixed signal devices, increase yields, lower costs, and enhance engineering
productivity. RI's novel software development environment is easy to learn and use,
reduces time to production, and provides a compelling return on investment.
Product and test engineers select RI because we offer powerful solutions at
affordable prices, and responsive, expert support. Many of the unique features
of RI products were based directly on feedback from our customers, who
are often impressed with how quickly we can implement their ideas.
RI Products and Services
- Cassini Modular Automated Test Equipment
- RI7100A Premier RF ATE
- RI System Software
- Test Plan Development (GUI for power and text for control)
- Handler and Prober Drivers
- Test Data Control
- RI VM
- Guru Server
- Production Services Handling, Wafer Probing, Test Fixtures, DUT Interfaces, Sockets
- Correlation and Test Data Distribution
Typical RI Customers
- IDMs: Analog Devices, IBM, Freescale, Intel, TDK, Northrop Grumman, RFMD, SAE Magnetics, and Thales
- Test Houses and Subcontractors: ASE, Giga-Solutions, and BreconRidge/Sanmina
- Fabless companies: CSR, Passif, Peregrine Semiconductor, and Entropic Communications
Corporate History
Roos Instruments, Inc. was founded in 1989 by a group of RF Microwave engineers, out of the bench-top test equipment industry, to create an automated microwave test system using a fundamentally new approach. The concept was to combine a personal computer and object oriented software technology with high speed microwave measurement technology, creating the world's first true Microwave ATE system. A true ATE system is one that is designed with the sole purpose of testing parts at the highest throughput possible while operating in all types of environmental conditions anywhere in the world. The goal was to deliver a turnkey test solution with an order of magnitude higher throughput.
The US military was in the midst of a large Manufacturing Technology research and development effort (the ManTech program), looking for novel approaches to speed the production of microwave hardware while lowering the cost. RI was awarded a grant to prototype and demonstrate our Microwave ATE concepts. Under the leadership and vision of it's founder Mark Roos, a 10 to 100 times improvement in test throughput was demonstrated, which lead to a firm contract to produce a marketable product. This first product addressed the X and Ku band interests for the military radar market covering the 100 MHz to 20 GHz range. The direction and funding of the Man Tech program allowed Roos Instruments to be born without the need for venture capital funding and is still today internally funded as well as employee owned and operated.
Mark Roos CEO
"We were also able to take advantage of our industry leading TOI to provide measurement of harmonic content up to 12 GHz very close to the theoretical noise limit."
-Oct 2009
Mark Roos is the founder and CEO of Roos Instruments, a position he has
held since its inception in 1989. Mark graduated from California State
Polytechnic University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1973,
holds a MS in Electrical
Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Santa Clara University.
Measurement technology has been the focus of his entire career starting with his
early work experience as R&D Project Leader for Hewlett-Packard (later Agilent)
Network Measurements Division in Santa Rosa where he was responsible for the
microwave receiver and processing (i.e. "bottom box") of the record-breaking HP
8510 Microwave Network Analyzer. After the enormous success of that network
analyzer, Mark went on to lead the marketing efforts for HP's RF and Scalar
Microwave Network Analyzer products.
The next phase of Mark's career was VP of Engineering for EIP Microwave, a maker of electronic counters and other instrumentation. While at EIP, he discovered a need for high performance automated instruments. He left EIP to found Roos Instruments to serve this market for high-speed RF instrumentation with capabilities suitable for high volume manufacturing.
Early on, Roos Instruments received funding from DARPA via a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant. The grant allowed Roos Instruments to develop a totally new approach to RF measurements using a single receiver and advanced software -- ideas Mark pioneered. Early in 1994, Roos Instruments won a comprehensive benchmark at Motorola with the RI7100A, resulting in its first major success. Thus began Roos Instruments' rise as the supplier of these advanced technologies in production testers world-wide.